Getting Through
by Cara Tala
Summary: Tala is forced 2 move 2 a place she has only visited go to a school she's only heard of. There, she fights 2 earn a place of her own, solve the mystery of her parent's sudden deaths while trying not 2 get killed herself, find a new and timeless love.
1. Default Chapter

Getting Through  
  
The train jerked to a start, signaling the beginning of the long ride to the school. A young girl gazed out the window to all the parents waving goodbye to their kids. There were muffled shouts of 'I love you' and 'Be good!' being called to the children as the train started moving. Tala sighed heavily, wishing her parents were there to see her off. She was 16 and starting in a new school that she knew very little about. The Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The only thing she knew about it was that her Grandfather was the headmaster and that there were four houses that a student was put in when they first arrived. "Gryffindor, Hufflepuff,   
  
Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Such strange names for groups of students in a school." She said   
  
thoughtfully to herself.   
  
She had just moved from Ireland and didn't know anyone there. Her mother and father had both gotten jobs at the Ministry of Magic so they had to move to England, luckily their new house was large and sat on an enormous estate surrounded by a lush forest. It had been almost a month since her family had moved there. Her old school had been just fine. It had taken her a while to befriend anyone because of her differences and she had finally found a few good friends when she had to move. Tala sighed, thinking of her old friends and wondering if anyone here would accept her or even try to.   
  
There was a soft noise to her side and she turned to see her snowy white owl, Misty,   
  
looking hungry. She smiled, opened the cage door and let her out onto her hand, while feeding   
  
her some food. "There you go girl. You're probably just as nervous as I am, huh?" Tala cooed   
  
softly to the bird who had been her constant companion since she was ten years old. Her   
  
parents had gotten her for her for her birthday. Misty had taken an immediate liking to Tala and   
  
had always been her friend since the moment she laid eyes on her. Misty had the most beautiful   
  
blue eyes and her parents had said that they accented her own violet-blue ones. Smiling at that   
  
memory, her gaze returned to the view outside of the train. The scenery was beautiful and she   
  
smiled, at least she was going to be in an area that had plenty of forested land around it.   
  
Tala was startled out of her little trance by the voice of a young man who had opened the door to the room she was in. "Excuse me, do you mind if my friends and I share the cart with you? All the others are full." She looked up into the eyes of a dark haired, green-eyed boy with glasses.   
  
"Oh, um, sure. Go ahead." She said rather shocked that someone had opened the door without her noticing. She was also somewhat shocked at how intense his green gaze was. Tala moved her bags out of the seat next to her and set Misty's cage on top of her smaller bags,   
  
while putting the owl on her shoulder.   
  
The boy turned and waved his hand towards some unseen people. "Hey Ron! Hermione! I found one!" He shouted down the hall to two people who were apparently the two friends he had mentioned. While he wasn't looking, she fixed the cap that was on her head, to make sure it was doing what it was supposed to do.   
  
"Thank god! I thought we were going to have to stand all the way to Hogwarts." A young, red-haired girl appeared a moment later. Her hair was bushy and she looked a bit like a book worm, but Tala didn't care. She judged people by how they acted, not what they looked like. It was just very unfortunate for her that most other people didn't judge people that way. The girl spotted Tala and walked over, holding out her hand. "Oh, hello! I'm Hermione Granger. Who are you?"   
  
Tala smiled and shook the girls hand. "Hi, I'm Tala Bates." This Hermione girl gave off a good feeling and a general sense of friendliness. As they exchanged names, another boy came in, wearing a big and somewhat exhausted smile. She smiled up at him as he sat down across from her.   
  
"Thanks for letting us sit with you. I'd hate to sit in a car full of Slytherins." He winced at the mention of the word before he remembered his manners. "Oh, I'm Ron, Ron Weasley. Nice to meet you." Ron stuck his hand out and Tala shook it smiling.   
  
"You're welcome. And I'm Tala, nice to meet you too." she couldn't help but laugh   
  
softly at his look of dread at even the idea of having to sit with some Slytherin kids.   
  
"And I'm Harry, Harry Potter." The dark haired boy said as he sat down next to her. It was   
  
only then that she noticed the lightning bolt shaped scar on his forehead. She knew automatically   
  
who he was then, and she knew his story but she didn't bother asking about it because she   
  
figured that the story held many bad and unwanted memories and feelings for him. Tala smiled   
  
and shook his hand. She got a general feeling of goodness from all three of these friends and she   
  
hoped that one day she could be their friend also.   
  
"I take it that you're new to Hogwarts, correct?" asked Hermione as she relaxed in   
  
the seat across from Tala. She looked rather interested in her and the fact that she was a new   
  
student but didn't look like she belonged with the younger kids.   
  
"Yah, this will be my first year at Hogwarts." she replied.  
  
"But you don't look like a first year. How old are you, anyway?" Ron asked, seeming   
  
rather nosey.  
  
Tala laughed. "Well I would hope I wouldn't look like a first year. Im 16 so I'll be   
  
starting in the sixth year. My grandfather is the headmaster and he said it was no trouble to put   
  
in me in with the other sixth years at all." At that, all three of their faces went into shock. Ron's   
  
mouth dropped and he stared at her as if she were a ghost. She felt rather uncomfortable with all   
  
of them looking at her like that. "What? Did I say something wrong?"  
  
"Your Grandfather is Professor Dumbledore?!" Hermione practically shouted it for all to hear. She looked like she was in a total state of disbelief. Tala laughed softly at their faces.  
  
"Um, yeah. So? Is my grandfather a friend of yours?" She asked curiously.   
  
"I guess you could say that. He's saved our butts several times and is sort of like a   
  
father to me." said Harry as he regained his composure.   
  
"Now I know why your names sounded so familiar, aside from Harry's. My Grandfather is always talking about how you all get into trouble so much and how he has to bail you out. He also says you are all very brave and smart and have saved his life a few times also." She smiled as she realized who these three people were. Never did it occur to her that she would meet and possibly become friends with the somewhat legendary trio that her grandfather had always told her about on his visits.   
  
The three of them looked back and forth at each other then back to her. Utter shock,   
  
amazement, and something close to pride showed on their bright faces. "Dumbledore said all   
  
that about us?" Harry stated in shock. Tala laughed and nodded as she pet Misty who had come   
  
to perch on her arm.   
  
"Yup. And I must thank you all for what you've done for him and the school. He loves Hogwarts and the students very much. Not to mention he loves being a mentor and teacher. I don't think he knows what he would do if he didn't have that place." She blushed and smiled   
  
softly at them all. At last she could thank some of the people who defended her grandfather and   
  
continued to save his life and the life of the school year after year.   
  
Harry, Hermione, and Ron all smiled proudly. Ron's chest swelled with pride and so did Harry's. "It wasn't any trouble. I guess you could just say we were in the right places at the right times." Hermione spoke up, her eyes sparkling with happiness and pride.   
  
"That's a beautiful owl, Tala. What's its name?" Harry asked as he looked admiringly at Misty.   
  
"Oh, this is Misty. She's been my best friend for a long time." Tala explained while the owl hopped over to her right arm next to Harry and cooed as if wanting him to pet her. Harry   
  
smiled and complied with the simple request.   
  
"She's very friendly. Has she always been like this toward strangers?" He asked, with a smile on his face.   
  
Tala was rather baffled at Misty's actions. Never before had her owl appeared so   
  
interested in another person other then someone of her own family. "Actually no. It took her a   
  
while to warm up to my old friends back home and she's only really taken to members of my   
  
family. I guess she just senses something in you that makes her feel safe or something like that."   
  
She smiled as she spoke, feeling like she finally had some friends now who didn't judge her for   
  
how she looked.   
  
Ron looked at his watch and his eyes widened. "Oh bloody hell! We need to go change, right now!" Getting up he grabbed a bag and ran out the door towards the bathroom.   
  
Hermione looked at her watch and her face suddenly looked like Ron's. "Oh dear! He's right. We'll be there soon." She also hurried and got up while grabbing her bag and running out.   
  
"Come on Harry!"   
  
"I'll be right there!" Harry shouted as he got up and grabbed his bag. Before he left he   
  
turned to Tala and smiled. "We'll be right back. We just need to go change. I suggest that you   
  
change too before we get there." With that, he ran off in the same direction the other two had   
  
gone.   
  
Tala sighed and got up as she pulled the curtain in the car's windows down and locked   
  
the door so she could change in privacy. "All righty then. I think I'll just put the robes on over   
  
my t-shirt and jeans, that why I'm at least comfortable. What do you think, Misty? Good choice?"   
  
She asked, looking at the owl who was now perched on top of her cage. Misty cooed and   
  
ruffled her feathers in the manner that meant that she agreed. Tala laughed and pulled on her   
  
robes then unlocked the door and pulled up the curtain once more, not realizing that she had   
  
forgotten one...rather important thing about her outfit.   
  
Now looking out the window, she didn't hear the door open and she didn't realize anyone   
  
was there until she felt someone sit down next to her. Thinking it was Harry, she turned smiling   
  
but her smile suddenly turned to a look of shock. Staring back at her weren't the deep green   
  
eyes of Harry but the ice blue eyes of a blonde haired boy. A chill swept through her as she   
  
looked into the depths of the boys eyes. There were mysteries hidden there. Deep and dark ones   
  
that both troubled her and caused her to feel sadness.   
  
"I don't believe I've ever seen you here before." The boy said, immediately shaking Tala   
  
from her semi-trance. "I'm Draco Malfoy, and you are?" Draco extended his hand and immediately   
  
took hers, even though she didn't offer it. Tala looked at him wide-eyed and felt a shock of heat   
  
and sparks go from her to him then back again.   
  
It took her a moment to form the words in her mouth as she wondered if she had imagined   
  
the feeling or if it was real. "Oh um, I'm Tala. Tala Bates. I'm new to Hogwarts."  
  
"What a lovely name. It is a pleasure to meet you Miss Tala." Draco said as he brought   
  
her hand up to his mouth and kissed it. Suddenly, the door swung open and there stood Harry   
  
along with Hermione and Ron.   
  
"What are you doing here Malfoy?" Harry demanded, a rather angry look on his face.   
  
"As if it's any of your business Potter! But if you must know I was just meeting this   
  
lovely lady. I don't think that's a crime." Retorted Draco as he stood up to face Harry with   
  
almost the same expression as his adversary. He looked to Ron and Hermione and scoffed.   
  
"But now that I see you're here with your little mudblood girlfriend, I'll take my leave." He   
  
stood up and made to leave but before he did, he went over to Tala and kissed her cheek. At   
  
that, all four of their faces went into total shock. Smirking, Draco stood up and casually walked   
  
out of the car.   
  
"Bloody hell! Did Malfoy just do what I think he did?" Asked Ron in complete disbelief   
  
as they all came in. Tala just sat there, her eyes wide and mouth agape.   
  
"I think he did Ron. By the look on Tala's face, I think he did." Harry looked at Tala's   
  
face, which was slowly returning to normal. Hermione and Ron sat back down in their seats, across   
  
from her and Harry.   
  
As soon as Harry sat down, Tala jumped up and yelped loudly, clutching something   
  
white and fluffy in her hands. "Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow!"   
  
"What? What is it? Did I sit on your hand?" Harry asked,  
  
quite concerned that he had hurt his new friend. Soon, he and the others looked to the   
  
white fluffy thing that was in her hands and he got very curious. "What is that?" Ron and   
  
Hermione looked to where he was looking and confused looks grew on their faces as well.   
  
Tala immediately blushed as she let go of the fluffy thing and let it sway around beside her.   
  
Looking down she mumbled something softly and incoherently. "What? What did you say, Tala?"   
  
"It's...erm... my tail." Tala managed to get it out loudly enough that time, her face   
  
growing even redder and hotter then ever before.   
  
"Your what?" said Hermione, looking rather shocked and amazed. "Your tail?   
  
How can someone have a tail?" She seemed very curious about this new feature that none   
  
of them had noticed before.   
  
"Good question. I'd like to know that for myself." Ron finally spoke.   
  
It looked like they all wanted some answers but Tala felt that they were only curious, not  
  
wanting to judge her because of her differences. So, she decided to tell them her story. 


	2. Chapter 2 The Story

NOTE- I know Tala is sort of a Mary Sue but U DONT KNOW HER YET! she does have problems and isnt perfect. I have a friend helping me and this IS my first fan fic so plz bare with me. If you dont have any thing nice to say or helpful, i would appreciate it if you would keep your comments to yourself. I dont need ppl putting me down just because of a preliminary view of the main character. I hope you like this next chapter. It has a bit more about Tala then chapter one.

Chapter Two - the story  
  
"Well, you see, I've had this wolf's tail since I was born. Along with some other... certain um, attributes." Tala started, taking a deep breath before she went on. "When my mother was still pregnant with me, she and my father were out in a supposedly haunted forest trying to figure out what had been killing many of the magical creatures that lived there. Well, my parents came upon this...really disgusting monster that no one had ever seen before. When they found it, it was about to kill this beautiful and large white wolf." She paused for a moment and looked at her friends faces. The three were looking at her and seemed to be hanging on her every word. 'This is strange' she thought. 'No one has ever seemed this interested in my story before.'   
  
"Well? What happened?" Ron asked, sounding rather anxious.   
  
Tala laughed softly and continued. "The beast turned and dropped the wolf before it had the chance to kill it, and then when it spotted my parents, it started after them." She smiled, imagining the next part of her story in her mind as she had so many other times. "My parents didn't even flinch as the thing came upon them. They simply took out their wands and with a few spells, defeated the creature." Tala laughed as she thought of something her mother had told her. "My Mum said that the thing stank like a muggle garbage dump filled covered in dung and other... unmentionable things that really stank."   
  
All four of them started laughing at that, trying to think of what could smell worse then a muggle garbage dump filled with dung. "That's a very interesting story Tala but, how did you get your tail." Hermione managed to ask her while trying to calm herself down.  
  
"Oh, right. Well, the large wolf went over to my parents then suddenly turned into a beautiful woman with black hair and piercing violet eyes. She said that she was a guardian spirit of the forests there in Ireland and that because my parents had shown such bravery and concern for the creatures there, that she would bestow upon them a special gift." Tala paused once more for a moment, so that she could collect her thoughts as to what else the spirit had said. "With that, she enchanted my parents with the abilities to sense what others were feeling and if they were telling the truths or not. Also, they gained the ability to sense what a person was essentially like. Wether they were good or bad and how they truly felt in their souls."  
  
She took a breath and laughed as Misty flapped over to Ron and sat on his lap, brushing up against his robes. "I think your owl likes me too, Tala." He patted her on her head and gently stroked her.  
  
Tala smiled and took a breath to settle her nerves as she was about to finish her story. "The spirit, who my parents decided to call Aura, also knew that my mother was pregnant so she also bestowed these gifts upon me and told my parents 'Your child will grow to be strong and smart. Wise and brave. They will follow their heart and grow to become one of the most powerful beings this or any other world has ever known. They will be born different but be stronger because of it. I give her and you my blessings and vow that for what you have done today, I and my kind shall always watch over all of your family for all their days.'" She sighed as she remembered seeing her Mother's drawings of Aura. They were beautiful and showed such elegance and grace. Her parents said that she looked almost related to the wonderful spirit. "Thus, seven months later, I was born. And boy were my parents shocked to see what I had."   
  
"That is amazing. I've never heard or read of anything like that ever happening. I'm stunned that I never found any literature on something like that or even you in any of the books at Hogwarts." Hermione said, with a gleam of intrigue and wonder in her eyes.   
  
"That is amazing considering that you've read practically every book in that place." Stated Ron with a laugh. Misty had moved from him to Hermione who was now stroking the kind birds silky soft feathers. Harry and Tala both laughed and Hermione simply blushed.   
  
"Oh hush Ron. It's not like it hasn't come in handy." she retorted.  
  
"Um, Tala," Harry started, now looking at her somewhat quizzically. "You said you had some other attributes or differences, other then just your tail. Would you mind telling us what those were exactly?"  
  
Tala blushed as she took off the cap that was on her head, revealing two, rather perky looking, silverish-white wolf ears sticking out of the top of her head. "Well, as you can see, I have wolf ears instead of normal human ones. And I was also born with these silver streaks in my hair that have the blue tips at the bottom." She lifted her hair to show them. All of them grew smiles of amazement and possibly a little curiosity.   
  
"Bloody hell." said Ron as he slowly reached out to try and touch her ears then quickly retracted his hands remembering his manners. "That's bloody amazing. I suppose you can hear just about everything with those ears, cant you?" Harry and Hermione quickly gave him a censuring glare that made him shrink back a bit. "What? I was just asking her a question."   
  
She laughed and nodded, the ears twitching to just about every sound. "Yes, Ron. I can hear just about everything, along with smell a lot more then regular humans do too. Including your quickening heart beat and the smell of chocolate and.....asparagus on your breath. Why does your breath smell like is has asparagus on it?"   
  
"Oh um...I was eating some Bertie Botts beans earlier and I got an asparagus flavored one. But how could you know that I ate something like asparagus? I ate that this morning on the way to the train station." He answered, staring at her like she was psychic or something.  
  
She only laughed again and smiled while putting her hat back on to cover up her ears. "I also got a bit of a wolf's keen sense of smell along with having a way with normally dangerous animals."   
  
"So, um" Ron started to blush and he looked like he wanted to ask something. "Can I um... touch your tail?" His voice sort of squeaked which caused Tala to laugh a bit more. Never before had she encountered people so friendly and willing to accept someone so different into their circle of friends. She was so happy she nodded and stood up, bringing her tail around to let them all feel it.   
  
"It's so soft! I always thought wolf hair was supposed to be course and rather rough." Hermione said as she stroked her tail with an amazed look on her face.  
  
"Yeah, I know. But I've always brushed it out every morning and night or whenever I feel like calming myself down. It seems to help a lot." Stated Tala rather honestly.  
  
As they were touching her tail, memories of her old school started to come back. It had been so hard to get through things there. She had no friends until about two years before she left, she had been an outcast despite the fact that her parents were rather famous around there. Life had been so hard for her. At times it seemed as if life couldn't get any worse but then it did. She had been teased and taunted. Kids had pulled on her tail and ears. They had stolen her hats, her things, her lunches, her money. They took total advantage of her just because she was nice and kind hearted. Boys had spit in her hair and thrown spit-wads at her. Girls had tripped her in class, spread lies about her through the school. All of the students had picked on her and made fun of her just because she was born different. With a gift. At times she thought of it as a curse, as a plague and wished she had been born normal.   
  
At times like those, when she was feeling her worst, the memory of Aura would come back to her. Somehow, she had this dream or vision of a beautiful white wolf protecting her and loving her. Always keeping her safe. Always being her friend. The only friends she had ever had before Teresa, Devon, Orenda, and Tommy showed up were animals. Mostly the really dangerous kind like hippogriffs and centaurs. She even had been friends with a gryphon or two. Tala had also been friends with a pack of wolves that lived in the forests around their old home. It was thought that because the forest was enchanted, that it was the last place in Ireland where wolves dwelt. It had been such an honor and privilege to know such amazing and beautiful creatures. Sometimes after a really harsh day at school, she would just run home on her broom and go straight to where she met her friends at in the forest. They always made her feel better, just like the image of Aura coming to her when she was just a baby and filling her with warmth and love.   
  
"Tala," Harry said, noticing how she had suddenly gone very quiet and looked like she was a million miles away from them. "Tala, are you ok?" He gently placed his hand on her shoulder and she suddenly blinked and shook her head rapidly as if ridding herself of some memory. Harry noticed a few tears escape down her face before she quickly lifted her arm and wiped her eyes on her sleeve.   
  
"Huh? Oh, yeah. I'm fine Harry. I was just...remembering some things that I'd rather not think or talk about right now." She said softly as she looked up at him and noted the clear concern for her in his eyes as she sat down and tucked her tail under her robes.   
  
Harry didn't know what to do. He felt connected to her somehow and he saw the glimpse of deep sadness and loneliness in her hazel eyes. Something in him wanted to ask her what was wrong and just hold her to him and let her just get it all out. While another part in him respected her privacy and could only wait for her to open up those wounds that seemed so deep in her eyes.   
  
"Oh look! We're here!" Hermione shouted as the train started to slow and they started to see a station outside of the window coming up from ahead. "Best get ready to get off."   
  
With that, they all nodded and got up, and started to grab their things. Yet as they did so, Harry kept looking over to Tala as she set Misty back in her cage and started to grab her bags and sling them onto her back. Something in him tightened as he saw the tears that had fallen, and something told him that she really needed a friend or two and that he was going to be one of them.


	3. Chapter 3 The Sorting

Chapter Three  
  
The carriage ride to the castle was quiet. The four of them mostly talked about what classes they hoped they would have and what the teachers were like. "Professor Snape is the one teacher that you absolutely have to watch out for the most. Then of course there's Mr. Filch and his cat Mrs. Norris. He's the caretaker of the whole place and man is he mean. It's like he has a sixth sense about when kids are doing something they aren't supposed to and Snape is possibly the meanest teacher ever, aside from Umbrige last year. She was the worst." Ron kept complaining and whining about the toughest teachers there and when he said the name Umbrige, Tala visibly shivered and let out a soft growling noise. "What was that?" Ron asked, clearly afraid that it had come from a monster outside. His eyes went wide and his face clearly paled a shade or two.  
  
Tala blushed and raised her hand. "That was me. Sorry Ron. I heard about what Umbrige did to my grandfather and it makes me rather angry. Sometimes when I get really emotional I tend to take on more attributes of a wild animal and my eyes tend to change colors or shades. When I was little, it kinda freaked my parents out." She laughed softly and blushed more as they looked at her.  
  
"That is really wizard Tala. I wish I could do that." Said Ron emphatically. He looked like he really wished he could. She smiled and blushed more. No one had ever said that they ever wanted to be like her or have any of her abilities too. Not that anyone had ever showed interest in her aside from her former human friends back in Ireland. The four of them started chatting again. As soon as they were in sight of the castle, Tala was taken aback by its midevil beauty. She had always been in love with old castles and midevil things. Every year her family would go all around Ireland and take tours of the old castles. Everything about the mideval times fascinated her and now she was going to get to actually stay in, and go to school in a genuine castle.  
  
"Oh my god! That is the most beautiful castle I have ever seen in my life. And believe me, I have seen a lot. Is that really Hogwarts?" Tala could barely believe it. She wondered if she were just imagining it all. Her eyes were twinkling with amazement and happiness. Turning to them, Harry could tell she was shocked and filled with joy.  
  
"Mhm. That's it. I think I might have had the same reaction as you but I don't remember being as excited as you look." He smiled and was filled with warmth at her excitement. It felt good to make her laugh and smile. Harry didn't know why he felt this way, but he liked it a lot. Something that caught him immediately when she turned back to them was how her amber-hazel eyes sparkled with joy and amazement. Some part of him seemed to melt as her eyes bubbled with life. He couldn't help but smile back and be filled with happiness.  
  
Soon they all arrived at the castle and had to split up because Tala still had to be sorted. So, Hermione, Harry, and Ron all went to the Great Hall but all gave her a hug before they went off. They all said that they hoped that she got in to Gryffindor. She secretly hoped she got into that house too. As she went up a flight of long steps, she noticed a woman wearing black robes and a black witch's hat. She had her gray hair up in a bun and she seemed to be rather pleasant and exuded an essence of kindness and fairness. Tala immediately liked this woman. "Welcome to Hogwarts Miss Bates. I have been expecting you. I am Professor McGonnagall, head of Gryffindor house. You will be sorted into your house along with the first years. As soon as they arrive, I will take you all into the Great Hall for the sorting ceremony."  
  
Tala smiled and nodded. Soon, she heard voices and footsteps that she guessed belonged to the first years as they came up the long flight of stairs. When they all got up there, Professor McGonnagall said a brief explanation of what was going to happen to the students then she headed towards the great oak doors which opened as she stopped in front of them. Once they were fully open, she continued ahead, followed closely by the new students and Tala.  
  
She felt tons of eyes on her as she looked around. There were four long tables in the room that were filled with kids of different ages. Each table had a flag sitting over them. When Tala saw the ceiling, she smiled and was amazed at the beauty. It was the most gorgeous scene in the world. She wondered if she could get her parents to make her ceiling back in her room at home look like it. As she looked around, she spotted her friends sitting together at the Gryffindor table, looking back at her with supportive smiles. She noticed that there was an empty seat next to Harry that she guessed was for her and she smiled wider. It felt so good to finally have friends that she felt she could trust and confide in.  
  
Soon she felt another's eyes on her and she looked around some more to see a pair of ice blue eyes staring at her from across the room. She recognized them as the eyes that belonged to Draco Malfoy. He was staring at her intently, smiling, even though it looked like a smirk. She was glad she had her hat on and had made sure to cover her tail well. Tala couldn't help but blush a bit at the way he was looking at her. She also couldn't help blushing even further when she thought of when he had kissed her on the train.  
  
Before she knew it, it was time for the sorting. "Miss Tala Bates." She heard her name being called so she focused her attention on what was in front of her and took a deep breath as she headed up towards the stool. Tala smiled at her grandfather when she saw him and he smiled back. It was very important to her that he was there. He always made her feel like she wasn't alone and that someone would always care. She wished she could go and give him a great big hug right now, but knew she couldn't. It would just have to wait till later. "Miss Bates is new but will be starting in the sixth year. We expect you all to make her feel welcome, along with all the other new students." McGonnagall added that last bit as Tala sat down on the stool.  
  
A moment later, the hat was placed on her head. "My, my, my. I expected you to be here a few years ago. And my how unique you are, my dear." said the sorting hat quietly, just to her.  
  
She laughed softly and replied, "I know, but I was in Ireland. Sorry I'm late though."  
  
"Well, you're here now and that's all that matters. But now then, where to put you. I know you're not suited for Slytherin. Most definetly not. Hmmm, you have tons of kindness and caring in you, along with plenty of smarts and courage. I believe...yes, that's it, I have it now." The hat continued to speak quietly to her then as it got closer to the answer, he got a bit louder. "GRYFFINDOR!" Shouts went up throughout the great hall, except at Slytherin. Tala smiled as she stood up and took the hat off. After it was off, she kissed it above it's eyes and happily walked over to the Gryffindor table and took the seat next to Harry. There were congratulations all around. Soon, the sorting was over and Dumbledor said his beginning of the year speech and then the food appeared and everyone dug in.  
  
Throughout dinner, Tala got to know a little about everyone. She met Fred and George, Ron's elder twin brothers who were just visiting, along with his younger sister Ginny. They were all very nice to her and she couldn't help but laugh at the twin's antics and jokes. Among the others that she met were Neville Longbottom, Seamus Finnigan, Parvati Patil, Alicia Spinnet, and many others. She soon felt that everything would be alright, and she would finally have some friends. 


	4. Chapter Four Thoughts

Chapter Four  
  
By the time she made it to the common room, Tala was completely exhausted so she decided to go right to bed. Luckily, she was sharing a room with Hermione and Alicia. She was very happy that all her things were neatly put next to her bed, and she got the one next to the window that had a beautiful view of the Forbidden Forest. It looked slightly foreboding with the silvery mists surrounding it and the full moon above shining down giving it an eerie look. Tala thought it was extremely beautiful. It made her wonder if this is what the forest looked like on the day that her parents met Aura. She smiled at the thought then went to unpacking a bit.  
  
She put her cloths in the dresser that was provided and put some of her favorite comfort blankets and her pillow from home on her bed, along with a stuffed wolf that she had kept from when she was little. It always made her feel better no matter where she was. Tala put up a small mirror and some pictures of her family, including one of her and her grandfather. "I think that is good enough for tonight, don't you Misty?" She said as she walked over to the owl, after having put on her pj's. The owl cooed and rubbed up against Tala's hand. "Thought so." She kissed Misty's head then pulled down the covers and climbed in. "Goodnight Mist. Sweet dreams." Smiling, Tala curled up under her blanket, holding the stuffed animal close, and effectively fell into a fitful sleep.  
  
Harry's Point of View Harry was amazed at how the new year had started. He had found a new friend, one who looked like she was in desperate need of at least one true friend. It shocked him at how open she appeared to be considering all the things that he assumed she had left out. He noted how she had left some things out, whether on purpose or on accident he didn't know. He hoped that it was the latter and not the former of the two, because of the little kiss that Draco had given her. Thinking of Malfoy set him off on another new stream of thoughts. 'How dare he do that to her! How dare he kiss her like that when they had just met! Draco didn't even know the first thing about her except for her name and the fact that she was very pretty and that she had the most beautiful entrancing eyes he had ever seen. The sheer audacity of that guy! Who did he think he was?!'  
  
'Wait a minute', Harry said to himself in thought. 'Did I just say that Tala was pretty? And had the most entrancing eyes I had ever seen? Where did that come from? I barely know her myself, except for those few facts and that she is ...very interesting and smart. Not to mention that he could see a hint of pain and deep sadness hidden within her somewhat haunted eyes. Those beautiful, strange eyes. 'What is wrong with me?' Harry thought again. 'Do I... do I like her?' He furrowed his brow in deep thought as he ran over that idea over and over. 'It's entirely possible, she is very likeable and charming.' Sighing, he flopped down in the large lounge chair down in the common room, where he had been for the past several hours. He was alone now, everyone else had gone to bed but something had been bothering him.  
  
It was that haunted look he had caught in Tala's eyes while they were still on the train. She looked so vulnerable at that moment. It was becoming slightly evident that there were things in her past that caused her pain and that she'd rather not dwell upon. Just like him. He sensed a deep bond between them from the moment they had shook hands. Something had sparked from one to the other and back again. Harry didn't know what it was but it had made him feel like he wasn't alone. As if some part of him that had been completely empty before, was slowly starting to fill up. 'Maybe answers will come after I get some sleep. My head is starting to hurt and if I don't get up there soon, Ron might come looking and ask questions that I would rather not answer at this time myself...But still,' He thought as he headed toward the stairs that led to the boys' dormitory, 'I hope I can help remove that sadness from Tala's eyes. I'm not sure of much right now, but I really do hope that I can help her. Just like Hermione, Ron, and Dumbledor have done for me.' With that, Harry headed up to bed for the night, determined that he would help Tala any way he could. 


	5. Chapter Five

Chapter Five  
  
The late morning sun shone through the window, causing the beds to slowly warm up. Tala stretched and yawned as she woke up, and turned to look at Misty. Noticing she was gone she got up and scratched her head. "Wonder where she went?" Tala said to herself. Looking around, she also saw that no one else was left in the room. "Guess I'm the last one up. Thank god it's a Saturday and classes don't start till Monday." Smiling, she got up and grabbed a pair of jeans, a loose t-shirt, her hat, and her sleeveless, forest green trench coat, and took a nice, long hot shower.  
  
While Tala was showering, her friends were down in the common room talking. "I can't wait to see what classes we have this year. Even though I am absolutely dreading potions I do wonder who is teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts this year." Hermione was very talkative this morning, which meant she had a very good night's sleep.  
  
"I wish it was Remus. It was the best when he was teaching it. I always felt like I had someone to talk to when he was around." Harry seemed rather tired, and absorbed in his thoughts that day. It looked as if he had been up all night thinking about something, or someone.  
  
"Yeah, he was wicked brilliant. He was the best Professor we ever had. I still remember when that Boggart turned into Snape and then Neville did the Ridiculous spell and he was dressed in those outrageous cloths." Ron couldn't help the laughter that spilled forth at that memory. It had been so hilarious and the whole class had cracked up at that moment.  
  
They were all laughing so hard they didn't even see Tala come down the stairs. "What's everyone laughing at?" She said as she walked over to them and sat down on the couch. The three of them slowed their laughing and as soon as Harry saw Tala, it looked as if his jaw had dropped and his eyes would pop out of his head. Tala looked at him and blushed, ducking her head a bit as she noticed how he was looking at her. Her hair was back in a ponytail with some strands loose on each side. The cute hat was set neatly on her head and her tail was well covered by the coat.  
  
"We were just remembering something that happened when Professor Lupin was teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts in our third year here. He was a bloody genius." Ron stated as he tried to calm down, even though his face and ears were incredibly red. "I wish that I had a camera when that happened. Then we would have a picture to show you." He laughed a bit more before taking a breath and calming down.  
  
Tala smiled and walked over and sat down on the large sofa next to Harry. She laughed a bit and blushed as he shook his head as if to rid himself of a thought or feeling. "What is it Harry? Is there something on my face?"  
  
Harry shook his head again and smiled while blushing at the fact that he had been caught staring at her. "Oh, no, no. Nothing at all. It's just that you look...well, um, rather different today then you did on the train yesterday." He managed to get out a rather reasonable explanation without stuttering to much.  
  
Tala blushed a bit and looked at herself. "Is that a bad thing?"  
  
Harry shook his head adamantly. "No, definetly not. You look quite good." He couldn't help the blush that snuck up and caused his cheeks to turn a light shade of pink. Ron and Hermione snickered and laughed softly at how the two of them looked.  
  
"You look absolutely radiant Tala! I wish I looked as good as you do with that hat on. But hats never seemed to like me much. Probably because of my somewhat frizzy hair." Hermione said positively.  
  
"I don't think I look that good. But you don't look bad Hermione. I know! Some time I'll help you straighten out your hair to make it more manageable, if you want." Tala smiled at Hermione whose eyes lit up like it was Christmas morning.  
  
"That would be absolutely wonderful! I've been wanting to change my hair style for a while but I never could figure out how to go about it or how I wanted it to look." The girl was positively ecstatic. "Oh I know! We can do each other's hair and make-up and such for the Halloween Dance that is coming up in a few weeks." Tala couldn't help but laugh at how excited Hermione seemed to get at the idea of having a whole new look. She smiled and laughed with the others until her stomach growled, along with Ron's. "Well it sounds like someone could use some lunch."  
  
She blushed and smiled as she looked around at her new friends. "Well I guess I could use something seeing as I did miss breakfast."  
  
"You could say that again. I'm starving." Said Ron who was already up and heading toward the portrait hole.  
  
"Honestly Ron, you're almost always hungry. I don't think I can recall a time when you haven't been at least a little hungry." Hermione joked back as she ran to catch up with him.  
  
"Hey!" Yelled Harry as he and Tala both got up and ran after them. "Wait for us! We're hungry too!"  
  
"You'll have to catch us first!" Ron yelled as he evidently grabbed Hermione's hand and ran through the hole and started racing to the Great Hall.  
  
"Feel like a race, Tala?" Harry asked as he smirked and they started running out the hole.  
  
"Yep, so let's make 'em work to win." She laughed and off. The two of them ran as fast as they could after Hermione and Ron who already had a good head start on them. 


	6. Chapter Six Lunch

NOTE Ok, to answer a few questions i have gotten. I do love wolves a LOT so my stories will have something to do with wolves. I really wanna get a job in wolf conservation when i get out of college or when i get into college. Another thing is that the chix name IS spelled Tala, because Tala means wolf in native american. Chapters might not come as fast anymore cuz i just started school up again so I might not get anymore done till this weekend, so please be patient. Thanks! - Cara Tala

Chapter Six  
  
"Oi, you two sure do run fast!" Tala said as she and Harry caught up to them in the Great Hall. She was laughing the whole way as they hurried over to the table where Hermione and Ron had quickly sat down.  
  
"Yeah, I swear the both of you have gotten faster over the summer. Guess it must be all the adventuring and such, eh?" Harry joked and laughed along with the rest of them. "But you have to admit, it was a pretty close race."  
  
Ron and Hermione nodded. "Yeah, but even if we hadn't had a head start, we still would've won." Ron bragged as he stuffed some food in his mouth.  
  
"Oh really? I'll have you know that even though I can't run down stairs that fast, I am quite good at quidditch." Tala said in just as braggy a tone as Ron had as she grabbed some fish and other things.  
  
"You play quidditch?" Harry asked, his eyes lighting up as he heard the mere mention of the sport.  
  
She nodded and grabbed some apple juice and poured it into her cup. "Mhm. I was a chaser back at my old school. I think it was one of the only things people noticed me for, other then the um, rather obvious differences."  
  
"That's great, we can use all the players we can get. Last year Umbrige didn't let Harry play at all, and of course Wood wasn't here anymore so that made it even worse. I took up being the Keeper then too. We could really use you Tala. The team hasn't been the same since Wood was here. I swear he was the best Keeper ever!" Ron was rather emphatic in talking about the former Gryffindor who was apparently a great player.  
  
"Well, when are tryouts?" She asked curiously, wanting to get into some type of extra thing.  
  
"I think they're in a week or two. You should ask Dumbledor, McGonnagall, or Madame Hooch. One of them will definetly know." Hermione finally piped in. She had apparently been listening intently while eating her lunch. Just then, a bunch of owls flew into the Great Hall, dropping all sorts of letters and things down to the waiting kids below. "Oh good, the post is here. I was hoping it would get here soon." Newspapers fell down to a few students, including Harry. Ron got a letter and so did Hermione. Misty then swooped down and landed right in front of them with a note tied to her leg.  
  
"What do you have there Mist?" Tala asked as she gently took the message from her leg. After she had it, Tala gave the sweet owl a piece of raw meat that had appeared. The grateful owl happily ate the treat then took off to go do other things. "Thanks Mist!" Tala started to open up the message when she noticed that the others were looking at her. "What?"  
  
"Do you realized that you just gave your bird a piece of raw meat?" Asked Ron, looking quite serious.  
  
Tala nodded and smiled while going back to opening the note. "Mhm, she's a carnivore and she likes to eat raw meat. Especially when it's fresh. I mean she may be tame but that doesn't mean you can curb her animal instincts and favorites." She laughed as she read the note which was from her Grandfather. The letter read 'Tala, I would like to speak with you at your earliest convenience. Signed, Professor Dumbledor.' "Hm, it looks like my grandfather wants to see me."  
  
"When?" Asked Harry, after took a swig of pumpkin juice to wash down a rather large bite of food.  
  
"As soon as I can, apparently." Tala replied.  
  
"Wonder what it could be about. You don't think you're in trouble already do you?" Ron asked, looking somewhat worried.  
  
Hermione shook her head. "How could she be in trouble when she's been with us the entire time that she has been here?"  
  
"Oh, good point. But still, what could he want?" He replied, his face turning a little red out of embarrassment.  
  
"I don't know, maybe he just wants to talk. I haven't seen him for a while. He might just want to catch up." Tala said smiling. "I'm gonna go see him right now, since I'm done eating and all." with that, she got up and headed for the door. Suddenly, something occurred to her and she walked back over to her friends. "Uh, I feel really stupid now. But, could one of you help me get to his office. I forgot that I don't know where it is." She explained and started blushing rather profusely and laughed softly at herself.  
  
Harry laughed softly with her and got up. "Sure, I'll show you where it is. I'll even tell you the password." He laughed as he gingerly took Tala's arm and started walking with her.  
  
Tala laughed more and wrapped her arm around his. "Why thank you Mr. Potter. I would greatly appreciate it." Walking away, Tala never noticed that someone had been watching her the entire time she was eating lunch. As she walked out, a pair of ice-blue eyes watched her while she walked away, laughing happily with Harry.


End file.
